Gary Tyler, black, is serving a life prison sentence in Louisiana State Penitentiary. He was convicted in November 1975 for the murder of a 13-year-old white schoolboy who was shot during racial fighting in 1974. Gary Tyler was 16 at the time of the incident. Since the original trial, serious doubts have emerged about the evidence on which he was convicted. He is now seeking a pardon. Although unable to reach a firm conclusion on his guilt or innocence, AI believes that he was denied a fair trial and that racial prejudice played a major part in his prosecution.
